Bizarre but true: Japanese scrolls from the 1600s depict farting competitions

Well at least we know people back in the past enjoyed farting like we do now. The following images are from ancient Japanese scrolls that dates way back to the Edo period (1603-1868). The documents depict what they call ‘he-gassen’ or ‘farting competition’. Yes, we’re looking at valuable documents with historical significance, and it’s about people farting.

They show men farting strong gusts of human fumes towards men, women, a cat, and what looks like a tree branch. Examining these scrolls further makes you think that farts back then could really knock over people and walls. Either that or this is an elaborate prank by people then on people from the future. But seriously, in terms of historical context, similar scrolls depicted farts as a way to ridicule others, especially westerners, wherein they too would get blown away – literally – by the gas. You can view the entire collection of humorous images here.